Tag: Patrick Wolf

There’s a spot in my music rotation for music that’s got a beatastic drive to it, yet wrapped tightly around an operatic voice. For a long while, that spot was held for Patrick Wolf, but it looks like Wolf Colony is going to try and take up those reins quite soon. He’s structured his latest single with dominant beats, albeit infectious ones, and then that voice just soars throughout the track. It might not be my everyday fare, but I’m definitely feeling it today. If it’s your bag, then look for his debut, Unmasked, on March 3rd.

I’m not quite sure why the states haven’t completely warmed to Patrick Wolf, the 28 year old songwriter with exceptional gifts. Perhaps it has been the fact that he’s changed his persona from time to time, such as in the picture featured here, then moving forward to his more clean cut look of present. Regardless, I’ve been obsessed with his music for so long, and that only continues to grow as news comes of an upcoming October release for a new record, Sundark and Sunlight. According to Patrick, he really wanted to go back to his roots, influenced by what an artist can do acoustically, then adding lush arrangements. It’s very much what expect, which is glorious. Love this dude.

The Patrick Wolf in this picture is a far cry from the man that seems to be writing lately, though I love both equally as much. His last few efforts were dominated with synths, and almost felt industrial, but he seems to have found some sort of, well, inner peace. His Lupercalia record is set to hit next week, and based on the video for “House,” he seems to have quieted himself a bit, going for softer tones. Regardless of where his head or heart is at, he always has that angelic voice, and incredible production, so we’re excited any time we get a chance to enjoy more of his work. Take a listen to “House” below for a sample of the upcoming grandiosity.

Patrick Wolf is a magnificent genius. Everything he’s done has fascinated me, on various levels, but always involving his music. He’s set to release a new single in December titled “Time of My Life.” The track is a bit of a personal narrative, reflecting on a crumbling relationship. I’m hoping the release of his new material means that his sequel to The Bachelor, which you need, is soon to hit the streets. Please be true.

Something about singer-songwriters writing warm pop just draws me in every single time. Villagers is one such project by Conor O’Brien, and this song keeps playing around my desk all day long. It sounds a lot like early Rogue Wave, but at the same time, some of his vocal qualities really remind me of Patrick Wolf (minus the thematic insanity). It’s definitely just a subtle pop song that finds its way straight to your heart. You can find this song on the album Becoming a Jackal, which hits stores June 8th on Domino.

Creating a Top 50 Albums list is never easy. You have to battle with what you think the world believes, and what you truly believe in your heart, to be solid jams. We have even more trouble because we have to three writers, all who have different ideas, and we have to make those ideas fit into a neat box. Well, we got it done, and honestly, our criteria was based on two things: how great we thought the album was, artistically speaking, and how long we listened to it without getting bored. That’s it. It’s fool proof; you might not like it, but it’s our list, so here it is… Read more

We have to start this list off with a disclaimer. We have three writers, all with different tastes, so the list should reflect that a little bit. Also, these are our opinions, and by no means, are they meant to be seen as an “end all be all” to the question of what were the best songs of 2009. That being said, we like our list quite a bit. Sure, it’s got some expected numbers at the top, but the rest of the list is genius. We’ve got some of the songs streaming for you, and the rest take you straight to youtube. Follow the jump for full list.

It’s funny that Cale Parks spent the majority of this summer touring with Passion Pit, as the member of Aloha seems in an entirely different league altogether on his latest, the Swift Mars EP, which is out now on Polyvinyl Records. As a musician, he most well known as a drummer, but his usage of electronics and layering on this EP tells a story of a different sort.

We’re first presented with “Eyes Wont Shut,” a precursor to the electronic features on this album. While the music doesn’t sound too far from many of his peers around the park, his stalled delivery of vocals here actually strengthens the beats beneath the track. A warm chorus breaks into a throwback glam-dance as the song sparkles to and fro, until it comes to an end.

On “Knight Conversation” we find his understated vocals accompanied by a female counterpart. While the music here isn’t entirely out of this world amazing, it does just enough to push the song to its focal point, which definitely has to revolve around the vocal duets going back and forth. The strength of the song lies in this recipe.

“Crystal Air” hits the album at its peak. Here we see Cale layering just as we know he does best. Simple progressing piano walks along the song itself, with various electronic atmospherics entering from stage left. Although you might strain to hear the vocals at some points on the song, and the album for that matter, you are definitely drawn into his barroom persona, somewhere between Sinatara and Patrick Wolf. “One at a Time” supposedly is the single from the album, but it isn’t as pronounced as a winner as some of the previously mentioned tracks. Vocals sort of seem drawn out, and somewhat secondary. It’s just not a strong effort, and an odd choice for a single.

“We Can Feel It” closes out the EP with a swirling set of combined noises, from steady drums to the bursting of bubbles as they boil. It’s a new setting for the album, somewhat reminiscent of a more experimental Grizzly Bear, minus the remarkable vocals harmonies. As it ends, you can’t help but think that Cale Parks has a clear path ahead of him to break new ground and accomplish great things as his musical career continues to blossom before us.

We were excited to be hitting up the Nylon Summer Tour at Antones, as the bill featured the likes of Jaguar Love, Plasticines and Patrick Wolf. These are several bands we had been following for a long time, but had yet to get a chance to see on our home-turf. Anxiously, we grabbed a few Lone Stars and awaited the evening with enthusiastic uncertainty. Follow the jump to read our take on the show.

It’s finally July and what better way to celebrate summer with a mini-festival being put on by Nylon Magazine at Antone’s on Wednesday night. We call it a mini-festival because the lineup for the late afternoon/nighttime show features 4 incredible acts that should tickle your fancy. The lineup includes showman Patrick Wolf headlining, Living Things, Plastiscines, and long time ATH fave Jaguar Love. Tickets for this big show are only $15 so we suggest you make plans to be there for this extremely cheap show. Doors are at 6pm and first act starts at 7pm. If you don’t like the idea of being at Antone’s for so long, get there early, get stamped, and come and go as you please.